Bambi: Son of Man
by seniorcopycat
Summary: Everyone in the forest knows what man in capable of. It is because of man that Bambi lost his mother. But upon the arrival of a younger version of man who seems to be connected to nature Bambi begins a friendship with the young human. But while Bambi tries to convince everyone that the boy is not dangerous, some aren't so unconvinced. Hiatus.
1. Father's and Sons

**Bambi: Son of Man**

**Chapter 1**

"_One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca_

It was almost noon. There were some clouds in the blue sky that partially covered up the sun, but all in all in was a very peaceful in the forest beyond. The trees stretched all the way to the sky, next to same large boulders and stumps that mad had cut down a long time ago. Many of the woodland creatures went about their business without a care in the world, aside from the fear of man that laid just beyond the trees.

Speaking of beyond the trees, on a long and empty road right next to the forest, a single truck drove right down it.

Inside said truck was man himself, along with a smaller version of man, or as they liked to be called; humans. The one driving the truck was a muscular thirty-two year old man named Buck Chandler with dark brown hair and a scruffy, lumberjack like appearance. He wore a red flannel shirt, some worn out blue jeans with a belt around it and boots plus a cowboy like hat. Next to him was his fourteen-year old son Emmett who was busy playing a game. He wore a dark green short sleeved shirt with a gray undershirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

Buck took a deep breath and sighed. "Sure is nice to be out in the wilderness, all this fresh oxygen… it's nice, right son?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Emmett muttered, distracted as he continued to play his game.

"Would you put that away? You'll rot your brain." Buck told him as he took away his game.

"Why are we even out here anyway? Nothing ever happens outside the city." Emmett said, bored.

"I thought it'd be a good chance for the two of us to have some good fashioned father-son bonding time." Buck replied. "Is that a problem?"

"No…" Emmett muttered, lowly.

"Good." His father said, satisfied. "You know your mother, god rest her soul, would have wanted this for us."

Emmett looked at his father. "You think so?" he asked, curiously.

"Well she did always say we never really spend much time together so…" Buck began.

"Right…" Emmett said, seeing his father's point. He paused. "Are we really gonna kill deer?"

"That _is_ what hunting is all about, remember?" Buck reminded him.

"Why?" Emmett asked, a bit confused.

"Well… some do it for fun, for sport… and some do it to feed their families." Buck explained.

"I guess that makes sense…" Emmett muttered.

"But?" Buck asked, expectantly.

"But it still feels wrong…" Emmett stated. "What if those deer have families or something?"

"Emmett, those deer are just animals, they don't feel anything. Just fear. They live so we can hunt them, understand?" His father asked him.

The boy sighed, knowing he could not argue with his father. "Yes sir, I understand."

"Good boy." Buck said, satisfied, as they continued to drive down the road towards the forest. Along the way, as he looked out the window Emmett spotted someone watching them from close by; an old man. Emmett tried to look closer but when he checked again, the old man was gone.

"What the heck?" Emmett remarked.

Buck turned to him. "What's wrong boy? Did you see something?"

Emmett looked around for the old man but still couldn't see him anywhere, it was like he just vanished into thin air, confusing the boy greatly. "Uh… no… it's nothing."

"Don't worry about it, this forest plays tricks on you sometimes." Buck said. "Just gotta know who and what you can trust, because if you don't…"

"You're a dead man." Emmett finished.

"Exactly." Buck nodded. "But don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you out here. Not as long as I'm around."

"Yeah… hopefully…" Emmett mused while they continued to drive off.

* * *

Meanwhile, around the same time, a young teenage Buck was happily running through the field, chasing after a butterfly. His name is Bambi, the son of the Great Prince of Forest, who was following him close behind as he neared the edge of the forest which was right next to the road.

"Slow down, Bambi." The Great Prince of the Forest told him. "We have to be careful. Man could be anywhere around here."

Bambi then stopped in his tracks. "Oh… sorry Father."

"That's alright, I just need you to be careful and to listen to my instructions." His father said, gently.

"Don't worry, I will father." Bambi nodded. "So what are we doing today, anyway?"

"Today is about defending yourself if necessary." The Prince of the Forest stated.

"Defending myself?" Bambi echoed. "From what?"

"From man." Bambi's father said, grimly.

Bambi gulped at the mention of the species that killed his mother a long while ago. "Man?" he repeated.

"Yes, while we usually are able to get away from them but if they _ever_ try to hurt our children, like they tried to hurt _you_, then we must defend ourselves and our own if necessary." The Forest Prince stated, firmly.

"But Father… I know man is the reason Mother is… gone… but shouldn't we… I don't know… try to make peace with them?" Bambi questioned.

"It's not that simple, and even if we could they wouldn't listen," his father stated. "Man is a cold and heartless species who have no feelings and only care about hunting our fellow woodland creatures, just like your mother…"

Bambi's head and ears lowered at the mention his mother, it had only been a while since she was taken from him and he still missed her terribly."

"Remember Bambi, man only exists to hunt us. They have no compassion or love of any kind. They live to only to hunt us, understand?" The Great Prince of the Forest asked him.

Bambi nodded. "Yes sir, I understand."

"Good," he said, pleased. "Now let's keep moving, alright?"

"Ok Father." Bambi nodded, smiling as he continued to follow his respected father further into the forest and coincidently it was the same direction that Emmett and his own father were taking at that very moment. As if fate had just played a hand in bringing these two families together.

* * *

**Voices**

**Cameron Boyce as Emmett Chandler**

**Hugh Jackman as Buck Chandler**


	2. One with Nature

**Chapter 2**

Sometime later, Emmett and his father had finally reached their camping spot and set up their tent and everything. They had their food located up high so animals could not get to it and a trench around their camp spot to clear away the rain. While Emmett sat on a stump sulking, his father was preparing what appeared to a be bow near him.

"Come on son, no lagging around. I'm gonna teach how to use a bow, like a _real_ hunter." Buck told him as he held up the bow. Emmett glanced toward him, looking doubtful.

"You know I thought hunters used _guns_ these days." Emmett pointed out.

"They do, but a bow is much more quiet and less likely to scare 'em off." Buck said as he drew the bows string back and prepared to fire the arrow at a large tree before him.

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Emmett admitted.

"Of course I am." Buck smirked. "Now watch and learn."

Emmett turned to his Dad fully watched him as he drew the drawstring back, making it stretched then as he slowly let go of the arrow he watched as it shot out and flew straight for the tree in front of him before the arrow head pierced it completely.

"Whoa!" Emmett said, amazed as he stood up.

"Not so boring now, huh?" Buck said with a satisfied smile.

"I'll say…" Emmett agreed as he walked over.

Buck held the bow towards him. "You try."

Emmett looked at the bow with an unsure look on his face, but still he took it plus another arrow as well. "Uh… I don't know…"

"Come on, it'll be good practice for ya." Buck encouraged. "Give it a try."

"Ok… if you say so…" Emmett said as he took an arrow, placed it in the middle of the bow and pulled back against the bow's string.

"Careful, don't pull too hard and not to softly." Buck instructed.

"Ok, I got it." Emmett said, slightly annoyed. He eventually let go of the bow and it went flying into the woods, completely missing the tree in front of him. Emmett sighed, disappointed.

"Ah, wasn't that bad, you almost hit it." Buck assured his son.

"Yeah… almost." Emmett said, depressed.

"Just keep practicing, you'll get it." Buck assured him, confidently.

"Yeah, when I'm eighty…" Emmett scoffed, not feeling confident with himself, he then dropped to the ground. "I'm just not hunter material Dad… I never _was_…"

"You can't keep doubting yourself like that, son." Buck told him. "Otherwise you'll never get anywhere in life."

"That's what you keep telling me…" Emmett sighed.

"And I'm gonna keep telling you that until you believe it yourself. Ok?" Buck said, firmly. "Now come on, let's try again."

Emmett sighed again. "Yeah… let's try again," he said as he got back up and took the bow his father gave him. He took an arrow and pulled it back along with the string as he set it up, he aimed at the tree, carefully.

"Remember; just take a breath; imagine your target, aim a little higher than it… then fire." His father instructed him, calmly. "And always maintain your focus."

"Should I measure the wind currents?" Emmet inquired.

"It's on the rise… like your panties." His father joked.

"Ha-ha." Emmett laughed, sarcastically. "Now… can you let me fire or not?"

"Sorry." Buck said, holding up his hands in defeat.

Emmett nodded. "Thank you," he said before he resumed trying to aim the arrow at the tree again. His father glanced at him with a mischievous look and spoke up just as Emmett began to fire.

"How's your heart rate?" he said. His interruption surprised Emmett and caused him to fire in the wrong direction and miss the tree completely. Emmett groaned while Buck laughed.

"So close… yet so far." Buck said, shaking his head.

"That is… not gonna count, I need to go again." Emmett said.

"Oh?" Buck asked, raising a brow, interested.

"Yeah, because you talked." Emmett told him.

"That was the idea, you can't let anything distract you, not even me." Buck stated.

"Right, got it…" Emmett nodded, as he gave him the bow back.

"Well, try again in a bit." His father told him before giving him a proud pat on the back and walking off to apparently cut some more wood.

"Ok, Dad." Emmett nodded before walking off as well, he then sat back on his stump and sighed looking thoughtful.

The young fourteen-year old continued to stare at the ground for a while and watch the large gathering of ants walk around his shoe before a gentle breeze blew by him, which he seemed to enjoy. He also smiled as he watched the colorful leaves blow by and swirl around above him in perfect harmony.

Emmett then noticed the old man he saw from before once again, he looked closely but saw that he had disappeared again. He rushed over to the bushes and glanced around looking for any sign of him. The only thing he could find was a faint pair of tracks leading into the forest in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, making his decision."

"Dad? I'm gonna go check out the forest!" Emmett called out. "I'll be back soon."

"Alright, just don't go too far in, ok?" Buck said.

"Ok, Dad." Emmett told his father as he proceeded into the forest, unknown to him someone was watching him from the shadows.

* * *

As Emmett proceeded into the forest he passed by multiple tall trees with various animals jumping from branch to branch above him. The area was mostly shady, with some sunlight shining through the cracks, which Emmett had to shield himself from as he proceeded forward. Then he stopped when he heard a strange noise nearby.

"Hello? Who's there?" Emmett asked. "Come on, I know your there! So show yourself already!"

Emmett continued to look around until he came face to face with an old African-American man with a white beard and dark brown eyes. He wore an orange t-shirt, green cargo pants, black sandals and carried with him a long wooden walking stick.

"Whoa! Where'd you come from!?" Emmett asked the old man, startled.

"Do not be frightened child, I am a friend." The old man assured him.

"Friend?" Emmett repeated, doubtfully. "Friends don't sneak up on each other in dark forests."

"My apologises for frightening you, that was not my intention, trust me." The old man assured him.

"I wasn't scared." Emmett said, stubbornly.

"Ah, a stubborn one… but because of that stubbornness you have a strong will, which is quite admirable." The old man remarked.

"Uh… Thank you?" Emmett responded, slowly. "Now who _are_ you anyway?"

"My name is Usutu and I sense a strong connection to nature inside you." Usutu said.

"Connection to nature?" Emmett echoed, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Come with me and I will show you." Usutu promised, as he began to walk off into the forest.

"Hey. Hey! Where are you going?" Emmett asked as he ran after the mysterious old man.

Emmett rushes through a large amount of trees and pushes through every branch or bush that was in his way. He hopped over large rocks and a small creek, huffing and puffing all the way down until finally the old man he was chasing finally appeared in front of him, holding up his hand like a traffic cop.

"Stop!" Usutu shouted. Emmett screeched to a stop in front of his hand, looking confused.

"Stand perfectly still." Usutu instructed as he backed away.

"Why?" Emmett asked

"You'll see." Usutu said, smiling. He then stopped walking and stood absolutely still. He then slammed his stick on the ground and began muttering something in an odd language, much to Emmett's confusion.

"Uh… what are you doing?" Emmett questioned, confused. Usutu just continued chanting. "Hello? Are you listening to me?"

Just then, Emmett began to notice strange symbols appearing all around him in a circle and glowing green. They appeared on the ground, the rocks, the trees, the leaves, all around him and as Usutu continued to chant they glowed.

"What the…" Emmett began, surprised as the lights around him started to glow brightly. "What's going on here?"

The symbols then began to float off the trees, leaves, rocks and the ground and quickly began to swirl around him, much to his amazement. They soon split into several rings that encircle and spin around him.

"What's happening!?" The fourteen-year old demanded, sounding fearful.

"Do not worry yourself child, you are simply being given the gift I promised you." Usutu told him. "And let me assure you, thee have_ earned_ it…"

The rings then began to close in on him, and he had no way of getting out. When they finally touch him a tower of green lit then shot out from beneath his feet, which was seen from all across the forest. Getting the attention of every animal in there, including Emmett's father.

"What in blazes?" he remarked.

Bambi's father also noticed the tower of light that was shining from the edge of the Forest. His eyes narrowed.

"Something's wrong…" he mused.

Meanwhile, Emmett's eyes glowed green while his hair stood up on end as the green tower of light continued to affect him somehow. It slowly dialed down and eventually faded away and once it did Emmett dropped to his knee, groggy.

"Ugh… what was that? What the heck did you_ do_ to me, old man?" Emmett asked, struggling to stand up straight.

"What I _gave_ you was a _gift_." Usutu told him, calmly.

"A 'gift'?" Emmett repeated, confused.

"Yes. You are now… one with nature." Usutu said, with a smile. "And because of that your true destiny will reveal itself."

"One with nature? What do you mean?" Emmett questioned.

Usutu just pointed to another path behind him, Emmett turned towards it. "Follow the path of life… and find out."

Emmett stared at the path, still confused. "But… where does it lead?" he asked as he turned to Usutu, only to find him gone again. "How does he _do_ that?"

The fourteen-year old looked closer and much to his surprise he saw that the way he came had also disappeared.

"Hey… how the?" he began as he looked around for the other path but found nothing. "Hello? Dad! Usutu? Anybody!?"

Again, nobody answered, all he could hear were the various sounds coming from the forest all around him. Then he heard what sounded like human voices coming from the other end of the path Usutu that had pointed out earlier.

"Come on! Hurry up, already!"

"I'm going as fast I can!"

"Well them gather up as fast as you can!"

Curious as to who those voices belonged to, Emmett began to slowly go down the path that Usutu instructed him to go down.

As he proceeded further down the path, and thus further into the forest the voices became louder and louder until Emmett could confirm that they seemed to be coming from behind the large root of a giant tree nearby him.

"Ugh! That's not what I meant when I said 'improvise'!"

He then heard muffled sounds of someone else trying to argue with the other voice.

Emmett walked over to the tree, bent down to his knees so he hear the voices better then looked around it to see who was talking. Emmett's eyes widened when he saw that the voices were coming from two squirrels. One with a ton of nuts in its mouth, making its cheeks very huge and the other looked really annoyed.

"I told you not to pack so many nuts!" The squirrel told his partner annoyed. The squirrel with his mouth full could only mutter fast and unintelligible words. The lead squirrel just groaned. "I don't care if you're super hungry, I just want to get home in one piece without your massive amount of nuts slowing us down!"

The stuffed squirrel then noticed Emmett watching them with wide eyes and his own eyes widen as well. He squealed and tried to alert his friend of him but he couldn't say much due to all the nuts in his mouth.

"What? I can't understand you when you talk with food in your mouth you know!" The annoyed squirrel told his friend, who continuously pointed up toward Emmett. He eventually gave in and turned around. "Well what is it?

The squirrel then saw Emmett and yelped.

"You… you just _talked_…!" Emmett said, still stunned. The two squirrels continued to shake fearfully in front of him.

"Just back away… real slow like…" The first one said as he began to back away slowly before Emmett leaned closer to them.

"How'd you _do_ that?" Emmett questioned, incredulously. The two squirrels' screamed, t and then quickly took off in the forest, dropping all their nuts in the process.

Emmett then heard voices above him and from the looks of it, it seemed that it was coming from a formation of birds just above him.

"Are we there yet?" One voice asked.

"Don't make me turn this formation around!" Another voice from above said, sounding annoyed.

Emmett shook his head, bewildered. "What is going on here? It's like I can hear every animal's voice… like if they were _people_…"

Emmett's mind then remembered the words that Usutu told him before he disappeared.

"You are now… one with nature. And because of that your true destiny will reveal itself."

Emmett's eyes widen.

"One with nature… of course! I'm one with nature!" Emmett exclaimed in realization. "This the coolest thing since… television or something! I wonder what else I can talk to?"

Emmett then heard more voice close by and then began to run towards them, quickly.

* * *

Around the same time, the Great Prince's son Bambi was dashing toward the direction of the tower of light that was shown moments ago. He soon stopped and turned towards someone.

"Come on Thumper, let's go!" Bambi called out.

A small gray and white rabbit hopped and appeared right next to him. "Sorry, I got hungry!"

"You're _always_ hungry." Bambi smirked, amused.

"What can I say? I have a really big appetite." Thumper shrugged.

The cute little black and white skunk then scurried over. "Yeah, I'll vouch for that."

"So… why we going over there again?" Thumper asked.

"Simple, I want to see what that bright light was just now." Bambi explained.

"Didn't your Dad say not to?" Flower pointed out.

"Well… yeah… but he'll never know, and we'll be careful, don't worry." Bambi assured them.

"I'm never worried!" Thumper boasted.

"I am…" Flower said, fearfully.

"Well don't be." Bambi assured his friend. "We're just gonna go over there, see what that light was and then leave. Easy."

"Yeah… hopefully." Flower mused.

"Then let's go!" Thumper declared as he whooped and moved on ahead, before they all stopped in their tracks as soon as they heard a noise.

"What was _that_?" Flower asked, surprised.

"Stay behind me guys." Bambi told them, as he got in front of them.

"Why? What are you gonna do?" Thumper questioned.

"My Dad said to always put the safety of others before my own, I have to." Bambi stated, firmly. They all waited as the rustling in the bushes got louder and louder which made them gulp and shake a bit in fear. Eventually, Bambi began to creep closer to the sound.

"Bambi…" Flower said, slowly and nervously.

"It's ok Flower… what…" Bambi began before Emmett expectedly poked his head out the bushes, causing him to be face to face with the young buck. They both stared at each other for a while before they both screamed at the top of their lungs and ran in opposite directions. Thumper and Flower saw what Bambi saw and screamed as well before taking off.

* * *

****Author's Note: This chapter uses bits of inspiration and references from various forms of media that I like, admire and honor but I do not own them. This is not for profit, it is merely for fun. No flames please and thank you. ******BTW to those reading this, fanfiction writer ghost of fantasy says that he approves of my stories and wanted me to tell you all flamers and haters that you should check yourselves FYI that's a much nicer version of what he would have really said.**

**Voices**

**Robert Guillaume as Usutu**


	3. Two Worlds Meet

**Chapter 3**

Around the same time, Bambi and his friend were also continuing to flee from the place where they spotted Emmett and didn't stop for anything or anyone, that's how scared they were.

"Guys, is he still following us?" Bambi panted.

"I don't know… but I don't really wanna find out!" Flower voiced.

"Yeah, me neither!" Thumper added.

They eventually reach a small, colorful, flowery clearing with trees surrounding them and screech to a halt as they panted, trying to catch their breath. Bambi soon stopped and looked back from where they came.

"I don't see him…" he observed.

"I'll bet we lost him!" Thumper said.

"I hope so…" Flower gulped, fearfully.

"So that was… _man_?" Bambi wondered, stunned.

"I guess so…" Thumper shrugged.

"Kinda smaller than I expected…" Flower admitted.

"Should we tell your Dad?" Thumper asked Bambi.

Bambi thought for a bit, he wanted to say 'yes' and do so, but there was something about the 'man' he saw, something that made him want to see him again. "Uh… I don't know…" he admitted.

"But Bambi! You know how dangerous man is! They kill forest animals!" Flower whimpered, fearfully.

"I know, I know but there's just… something about him, guys." Bambi told him. "I don't think he wants to hurt us…"

"How do you know _that_?" Thumper questioned him.

"I don't… I just _know_…" Bambi stated. "And I don't think we should tell my Dad, at least until we can confirm that he's not hunting us."

"Uh… ok." Flower agreed.

"Fine, but I'm not taking the blame for this one!" Thumper informed him, firmly.

"Deal." Bambi nodded. "Now let's go."

"Right!" Thumper nodded as he started hopping and led the way, with Bambi and Flower following him close behind.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" Flower muttered to himself, as he began to follow. But before they could go any further, someone blocked their path. A young buck named Ronno.

"Well, well, well, what are _you_ babies up to?" he asked, mockingly.

Bambi frowned. "Go away Ronno, we're not in the mood."

"Aw, what's wrong? You got _scared_ by something?" Ronno taunted before laughing at them, obnoxiously.

"Yeah, something… like that…" Flower admitted. Thumper gave him a look. "What?"

"Listen Ronno, you don't understand, there's…" Bambi began.

"Oh, I know _exactly_ what's going on." Ronno stated.

"You do?" Flower asked him, surprised.

"Yeah, your off to spend time with _Faline, _aren't you?" Ronno accused.

"What? No!" Bambi denied.

"Yes, you are! You _like_ her, don't you?" Ronno stated, as he approached Bambi threateningly backing him back up.

"We're just friends, Ronno! Ok? Just friends!" Bambi insisted.

"You'd better be, because she's _mine_, got it?" Ronno told him.

"G-Got it…" Bambi nodded, shaken.

"Good. Now get lost, and don't let me see your faces around here again." Ronno told them before walking off. Bambi and his friends watch him go, looking shaken.

"That guy… is scary." Thumper remarked while Flower nodded in agreement.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here." Bambi told them as he and the others continued to their path.

As the trio continued to go further into the forest on their own, something big and furry watched them from the shadows. It growled angrily and hungrily before slipping off.

* * *

Due to not knowing there happened to be dangerous things in the forest, Emmett continued to proceed further into it. Stepping over every rock and giant root as quietly as he could while glancing left and right, hoping to find the little deer and his friends again.

"Hello?" he called out. "Anybody here? Hello?"

Emmett looked around for any sort of disturbance in the bushes or trees surrounding him and eventually he noticed one. Something was coming through the bushes and slowly moving towards, though he couldn't see just what it as yet.

"Hello? Is it you?" Emmett inquired.

Emmett waited for almost half a minute before the sound of rustling bushes became an angry sounding growl, making him nervous.

"Uh-oh…" he muttered, afraid. He then began to back away, afraid that something very dangerous was before him.

His fears were confirmed when a giant bear emerged from the bushes and growled at him, angrily while baring it's fangs.

"Oh boy…" Emmett said, scared. He then began to back away from it. "Uh… good bear… nice bear… uh… I come in peace?"

The bear continued to growl at him, and because he was so scared he said the first thing's that came to mind and didn't care that what he was about to do afterwards was the exact opposite of what one is supposed to do when facing a bear.

"Look! Some honey!"

And with that poor attempt at diverting it's attention, Emmett quickly made a break for it while the bear roared and quickly chased after him.

Emmett ran through the forest as fast as he possibly could, with the bear nipping at his heels and beginning to gain on him, baring it's teeth.

"Man, this thing sure is persistent!" Emmett remarked.

As the bear roared, Emmett looked up ahead of him and saw a large gap in the ground, and saw that the other side was within jumping distance of him. He quickly got an idea, though deep down he wished it wasn't an option.

"Boy… this is sure gonna rank high on the _stupid_ scale…" Emmett muttered to himself, resigned before he began to pick up the pace.

Then, at the last second, just before the bear could bite him the young teen leaped over the gap in the ground and landed on the other side with seemingly no harm while the bear was stuck on the other side, roaring in frustration,

"Whew! Close one…" Emmett breathed. He then heard yet another rustling in the bushes up ahead of him and his face fell. "Oh, what now?"

The bushes shook once more and Emmett could see the little face of Bambi slightly poking out from the side of it and staring at him with his large brown eyes. Emmett quickly recognize him.

"Hey! It's you again!" The young boy said, surprised.

Bambi came out of the bush just a bit, but retreated in fear just as soon as Emmett took one step towards him.

"Hey, hey it's ok… it's ok…" Emmett said to Bambi, comfortingly as he tried to approach him, but Bambi backed away quickly once again. Thumper and Flower watched this quietly from behind him.

"What do we do?" Flower inquired to Thumper, quietly who quickly just shushed him in response.

Emmett then held up his hands, showing Bambi that he didn't have a weapon on him while he continued to try and approach him once more. Though once he was at least five feet away from him, Bambi stepped back again.

"Easy little guy… it's ok… I'm not gonna hurt you…" Emmett tried to assure Bambi, gently. He took a step forward and Bambi quickly backed up once again, clearly scared of him. "Easy! I won't hurt you. Honest."

Bambi still looked a bit nervous and remained where he was. Emmett then spotted some berries in a nearby bushes and quickly took some before holding them out with a smile.

"Hey… do want some food?" Emmett offered, holding the berries closer to Bambi. "Don't worry I won't bite, I swear."

Bambi saw the berries in Emmett's hand and seemed to be a bit convinced that he wasn't going to hurt him. He then began to slowly approach Emmett, with caution.

"That's it…" Emmett said, slowly. "That's it… come on… just a little bit further…"

Bambi then kept moving closer and closer to Emmett, at same time his friends leaned further and further forward while their eyes widen. Eventually the young buck reached the human and ate of the berries in his hand. After determining that they were safe to eat the little deer happily ate the rest of them.

"Yeah, that's it… atta boy." Emmett smiled. "It's good, huh?"

Bambi made a yummy sound as he swallowed it. "Yeah, they are!"

"Whoa! You really _can_ talk…" Emmett remarked, stunned.

Bambi looked startled. "You… you can understand me?" he inquired, slowly.

"Y-Yeah… I… I think so…" Emmett nodded, sounding just a bit unsure now. He seemed to be getting used to his new gift.

"But how?" Bambi wondered. "You've… never been able to understand us before…"

"Uh, I'm… not really that sure either…" Emmett admitted. Then it finally hit him. "That's it…!"

"What's it?" Bambi asked, confused.

"Earlier today… I met some Shaman guy in the forest…" Emmett said, trying to piece it all together.

"A shaman?" Bambi repeated, confused.

"He's kind of guy who deals with… spiritual stuff or something, anyway… he _did_ something to me, said I was 'one with nature'." Emmett continued. "I think _this_ is what he meant… I'm one with nature!"

Bambi and his friends all looked surprised and confused by what he said.

"What's he talking about?" Flower asked Thumper.

"Beats me." Thumper shrugged. "Right now I'm just really hungry."

"So… do you… have a name?" Emmett asked Bambi, slowly.

"Uh… uh… Bambi…" The little buck answered.

"Mine's Emmett." The human said.

"Emmett…" Bambi echoed, intrigued.

The human nodded. "Yep. That's me."

"Why… why are you here?" Bambi asked, nervously. "Are you gonna hurt me?"

"What? No! What makes you think that?" Emmet asked him, stunned.

"Well… my father always says that Man only comes to the forest to hunt and kill…" Bambi told him.

"Man? Oh, you mean humans." Emmett said.

"Humans?" Bambi echoed, confused.

"Yeah, that's what were called and contrary to _your_ believe, not all of us are 'men' and we're _definitely_ not all hunters, that's for sure." Emmett told him.

"I never knew…" Bambi remarked.

"Well… now you do." The boy declared.

"Oh. Ok." Bambi nodded.

"By the way, you can tell your friends to come out too." Emmett told him, which surprised Bambi.

"How'd you know?" Bambi asked.

"Wasn't hard." Emmet shrugged. He then leaned to the side and glanced to the shaking bush behind Bambi. "Hey, you might want to control that thumping of yours. Could get you in trouble."

Thumper then popped out. "Hey, that's what Mom tells me too!" he smiled

"I'll bet she does." Emmett said, amused.

"They call me Thumper!" The rabbit said, thumping his large foot up and down rapidly.

"I can see that…" Emmett said, slowly. Flower then came out. "And… whose this?"

"I'm Flower…" The skunk said, shyly.

"Flower?" Emmett asked, in disbelief. Flower nodded. "Ok… your Mom must have really wanted a girl, huh?"

Flower just shrugged. "I guess."

"Well uh… nice to meet you both." Emmett told them.

"Thanks!" Thumper said, smiling.

"So… why are you here?" Flower asked, nervously.

"Uh… well… let's just say that it's some… father-son bonding stuff…" Emmett muttered, scratching the back of his head. He didn't know how to tell them that they were out hunting due to their fear of hunters and decided not to all together.

"Your father's here?" Bambi questioned, surprised.

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, outside of the forest, don't worry."

"Well… my father is _in_ the Forest, and he won't be happy when he sees you…" Bambi advised him, cautiously.

"He doesn't like humans?" Emmett inquired.

Bambi quickly shook his head. "No…"

"That's understandable…" Emmett muttered, depressed.

"What do you mean?" Bambi asked, raising a brow and turning his head to the side.

"Well… we humans may not be total saints to animals like you… but we're not to kind with our kind either…" Emmett admitted, shamefully.

"I had no idea…" Bambi confessed, sympathetically.

"Yeah, we're a complicated species. What are ya gonna do?" Emmett shrugged.

"Guess so…" Bambi agreed.

"Uh… not to interrupt but… do think we can talk somewhere where no one can see us?" Flower suggested, nervously.

Emmett looked around. "Why… Oh! Right! Your dad…" he realized.

"Yeah… we'd better get out of here…" Bambi advised, cautiously. He turned to Emmett. "You wanna come?"

Emmett glanced around and then in the direction of his Dad. "Uh… sure… whatever you say…" he muttered, as he began to follow the three animals further into the forest and in the opposite direction of where his Dad was.

* * *

Later on, the four of them we're walking down another path through the forest seemingly empty and with no animals around, just trees and small rocks. They chose it since it would be strange if someone saw a human walking together with forest animals.

"You know it kinda feels weird talking to an animal." Emmett confessed to Bambi.

"It is?" Bambi inquired.

"Yeah, for a while now I thought you guys we're all _dumb_ but _now_…" Emmett said, as his voice trailed off a bit. "It's incredible…"

"It is kinda cool talking to man…I mean… a _human_ that doesn't want to hurt us." Bambi admitted.

"I'll bet." Emmett nodded in agreement.

"Are we _sure_ he doesn't want to hurt us?" Thumper asked, suspiciously.

"Thumper!" Bambi scolded.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Dude, do I _look_ dangerous too you?" Emmett asked him, flatly.

"Well…" The rabbit began to say, slowly.

"Never mind, don't answer that." Emmett said, flatly.

"Ok." The rabbit replied, quickly. "Say… why you humans so tall?"

Emmett looked at him, surprised. "_Me_? _Tall_? _Please_," he scoffed in amusement. "Course I am taller then _some people_, but that's only little kids and midgets and… you guys, also."

"Are their humans taller then you?" Bambi inquired.

"Yeah, tons." Emmett confirmed.

"How tall?" Thumper asked, curiously.

"Uh…" Emmett began, looking for a way to explain it. Then he saw a tall tree. "Well… it various sometimes, but the tallest I can remember was nearly half the size of that big tree…"

The three animals turn towards the large tree Emmett was looking at and were stunned.

"Wow!" They all said, amazed.

"Humans are _giants_!" Thumper remarked.

"Some are, and some are even half _my_ size." Emmett noted. "Those are called midgets."

"Are they as small as _us_?" Bambi inquired.

"Thankfully not." Emmett stated.

"Boy… humans sure are strange…" Bambi remarked.

"You have no idea…" Emmett expressed.

Bambi then heard something and noticed something approaching from up ahead and his eyes widened. "Uh-oh! Quick! Hide!"

Bambi quickly pushed the others into a thick bush before jumping in himself. They all laid low until Emmett poked his head out, confused.

"What? Why are we hiding?" Emmett asked, before he was pulled back down again. Thumper shushed him. "Hey, don't shush me!"

"Sorry, but you need to be quiet…" Bambi told him.

"What for?" The boy inquired.

"My Dad's coming…" Bambi whispered.

"He is?" Emmett questioned, surprised as he began to look around. "Where?"

Flower and Thumper lowered him down further after that and looked around a bit before ducking down again.

"We said to be quiet!" Flower told him, nervously.

"Sorry! Sorry! So… I'm guessing your Dad's like… a big deal around here, right?" Emmett inquired.

"Yep! He's the Great Prince of the whole forest!" Thumper stated.

"The Great Prince?" Emmett echoed.

"Yeah, he protects the forest and everyone in it." Bambi told him. "He's the coolest!"

"So if he's the Great Prince… then what does that make you?" Emmett questioned, curiously.

"Uh…" Bambi said, a bit unsure. "Well, everyone calls me the Young Prince so…."

"Oh." Emmett remarked.

"But my Dad is training me to take over his job one day." Bambi revealed.

"Really?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, I don't get to spend as much time with my friends as I'd like… but it's nice spending time with my Dad." Bambi said, smiling.

"I'll bet it is." Emmett smiled back.

Thumper shushes them. "He's coming!"

They all ducked down lowed and became as quiet as they possibly can while they waited for Bambi's father to pass by them. They spotted a set of hooves walking by in front of them and listened as the sound got fainter and fainter until they couldn't hear them anymore. They all sighed in relief.

"That was close…" Bambi sighed.

"Yeah…" Flower agreed, nodding.

"Know any other places we can go?" Emmett inquired.

"I do!" Thumper said, loudly before everyone shushed him. "Sorry…"

"Well, where is it?" Emmett asked.

"Follow me!" he said before he quickly scampered off.

"Does he… _ever_ slow down?" Emmett asked the others, slowly.

The two animals sighed. "Never."

"Yeah, that figures…" Emmett muttered. "Ok, let's go."

As they began to walk off and follow Thumper, they failed to notice Usutu the Shaman discreetly following them from the shadows or the fact that Bambi's father had just turned around, believing that he heard something before continuing on.


End file.
